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Colin Powell and His Search For Relevance

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was featured on “Meet The Press." Powell, who identifies himself as a Republican, has faced much scrutiny from conservatives for endorsing Obama, not to mention his consistent attention seeking tactics at the expense of the GOP.

Powell was asked by host David Gregory to tell on what basis on which he was a Republican and if he left the GOP or if the GOP left him. While Powell refused to clarify on exactly what makes him a Republican, he did manage to give a short, but weak response in which he described himself as a “moderate.” Powell referred to the GOP as having “an identity problem.” He pointed to immigration, health care, voter ID laws, and the changing demographics (rising numbers of Hispanics, Asian-Americans, blacks) as examples.

While it is absolutely true that the GOP must re-evaluate its approach and methods of messaging to minority communities, the retired general was vague on specific proposals and ideas to help reinvigorate the party. Instead, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs decided to regurgitate the liberal talking points, claiming the GOP shows hostility or resentment towards minorities.

“There’s also a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party,” Powell retorted. “What do I mean by that? What I mean by that is they still sort of look down on minorities.” Has Gen. Powell forgotten the fact that he was nominated as the first African-American Secretary of State by Republican President George W. Bush, who also happened to have the most diverse cabinet in presidential history? Bush's successor, however, has neglected this attribute. After Obama's picks for the Treasury, State, Defense and CIA were announced, the President came under some criticism from pundits and commentators on the left and right bringing to center attention the lack of diversity in his choice cabinet.

I'm intrigued to know if Powell thought it to be intolerant when Sen. Harry Reid claimed Obama lacked “negro dialect” or when Joe Biden said Obama was the first “clean and articulate” African-American.

Powell used an opportunity to take a jab at comments made by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. ”When I see a former governor say that the president is ‘shuckin’ and jivin,’ that’s a racial-era slave term,”he exclaimed. This is an absurd claim by Powell. Palin was simply referring to the president's inconsistent descriptions of the Benghazi terrorist attacks, and if Powell figured that to be slave-term usage, his uber sensitivity has served as a substitute for facts and rationale debate.

Powell also implied that the GOP was heavily involved in the “birther” movement. As astute and knowledgeable as Mr. Powell is, I was a bit surprised he was unaware of the fact that Phil Berg, an ex-deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania and 2008 Hillary Clinton supporter, filed a lawsuit alleging that Obama was ineligible to be a presidential candidate. On these grounds, would Secretary Powell deem Mr. Berg also hostile to minorities?

By these remarks and inserting himself back into the conversation, is Colin Powell simply attempting to become relevant in the GOP once again? If so I question the strategy. I mean, who better to speak on behalf of all Republicans but a man who voted for Barack Obama, not once, but twice?

His refusal to highlight the class warfare that’s been elevated in the Obama administration, the higher taxes implemented under Obamacare and the fiscal cliff deal and Obama’s horrible record regarding the economy, makes Powell appear to be a steward of the Democrat party, barring the (R) behind his name. Where is his mention on the hostile job market and rising unemployment rate in the black communities under the first black president?

He has a stage, and millions of black Americans admire and respect him for good reason. But, if Powell truly wants to be relevant again, and help the party he claims to be part of, might I suggest that he actively involve himself in transforming the GOP instead of using liberal means to bash it?

Powell stopped being a Republican even before Obama became a senator . He tries to get by with calling himself a moderate , but actions speak louder than words . I don't trust his words any longer , and I would caution anyone else to check his recent record of statements before giving him any creedence .

It's no secret that former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has had a tremendous influence on young Americans. His message of fiscal responsibility and promotion of civil liberties is loud a clear. The youth are ready to bring real reform to government and are trying every way possible to influence their representatives, but where do they have the most influence? The Ron Paul Revolution, which started as a small, yet powerful, idea has sparked an even bigger reform: the transformation of the Republican Party.

In the fight to repeal Obamacare, establishment Republicans and the leftist media are teaming up to attack those urging that Obamacare be fully defunded. They say the conservatarian grassroots and Tea Party legions are being misled, because the task is impossible.

This is an open letter to William D. Ruckelshaus, Lee M. Thomas, William K. Reilly and Christine Todd Whitman. You, the former directors of the EPA who were appointed by Republican presidents, recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times titled, A Republican Case for Climate Action.

The Pew Research Center has released the results of an extensive survey of Republican voters. This poll clearly shows that, despite some prominent national GOP lawmakers saying we must lay low, the voters want Republicans to stand up and fight.

On today’s FreedomCast, AlfonZo Rachel joins me to discuss his latest video which takes on the idea of a third party. We’ll also talk about the culture war, making good art vs. “conservative art” and why Republicans need to speak the language of liberty which resonates with all races and creeds.

FreedomWorks hosted another grassroots training and networking opportunity for over sixteen thousand people. Free The People 2013 was held this past week at the USANA Amphitheater in Salt Lake City, Utah. FreedomWorks described the event as:
Under the stars in Salt Lake City, Free the People 2013 is an event celebrating and inspiring the American entrepreneur. An all-star lineup of conservative icons will inspire the crowd to unleash America's innovative spirit, rein in government's meddlesome bureaucracy and restore the American dream.

On the FreedomCast today, Editor of RedState.com and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson joins me to discuss the conservative/libertarian divide, the importance of finding candidates that will fight their own side and the importance of winning over Ron Paul millennials and expanding the GOP tent.

Few things are as annoying as the right's collective whining about media bias. Yeah, I just went there. Yes, the media is painfully biased. Yes, the majority of press outlets systematically blackout stories and seem to be in collusion with one another in the painting of the national news picture. Yes, it's unfair and yes, it sucks - hard.

James O'Keefe's Project Veritas released their latest investigation today. Utilizing the most common anti-second amendment argument of the left, "for the children," Project Veritas investigators confronted Piers Morgan, TriBeCa Enterprises employees and Oprah's production company, Harpo films. Posing as a non-profit group called "Act Against Arms," investigators asked Hollywood to sign a pledge to remove all guns from films, past and present.